Police Officer - State
(Detective)
Fact Sheet
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Travelling to the location of a reported incident |
Police officers protect the community from crime and disorder by providing services to uphold the law, protect life and property, preserve the peace, prevent crime, detect and apprehend offenders, and help those in need of assistance.
Duties and Tasks
Police officers may perform the following tasks:
- promote crime prevention and undertake community policing activities to improve the quality of community life
- patrol assigned areas on foot or in vehicles to check security of property and watch for unusual activity
- apprehend law breakers
- investigate criminal offences and question suspicious people about their activities
- gather information about crimes and accidents by talking to victims and witnesses and taking notes and statements in writing
- direct and re-route traffic at congested areas
- respond to citizens' complaints and attend scenes of disturbances and reported illegal activities
- guard prisoners
- detain and search suspects for weapons, stolen goods or drugs
- work with ambulance, firefighting and defence force personnel to control emergency situations such as floods, bomb threats and chemical spills
- assist injured and distressed people and search for missing or lost people
- carry out routine clerical work
- issue infringement notices for traffic offences
- attend special events such as football matches and control crowds where necessary
- give evidence in court from previously prepared briefs and notes
- perform random breath tests of drivers to detect those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- secure crime and accident scenes, and locate or obtain evidence for analysis
- give sympathetic, constructive and reassuring assistance and feedback to victims of crime.
Specialisations
After gaining experience, police officers may seek entry to specialist areas such as criminal investigation (detective work), radio communications, prosecutions, juvenile aid, accident investigation, water police, dog handling, traffic control, the mounted unit, education and training, and human resource management.
Quick Facts
School subjects that include some aspect of physical education provide a useful background to these jobs. In some cases a physical education subject is a pre-requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Driving or piloting a powered vehicle on road, rail, water or in the air is an essential or usual requirement of these jobs. Vehicles include cars, buses, aeroplanes, trucks, forklifts, ships, boats, etc.
Use of precision or semi-precision tools or instruments or deft hand movements are required for these occupations. Included are jobs where poor co-ordination or incomplete use of hands or fingers may make tasks dangerous or difficult to undertake.
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
The main duties and tasks involved in these jobs require daily physical exertion, such as bending and twisting, lifting, climbing, pulling, pushing, carrying or other effort where physical fitness is required. People with heart, back or other conditions who should avoid physical strain may wish to avoid these jobs.
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing skills.
Included are jobs associated with administration of the legal system, public and private protective services and the armed services.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH PEOPLE, to help, inform, teach or treat them. Activities include discussing personal issues, listening to people's problems, and providing advice, instruction, information or treatment to meet their needs.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH THINGS, using the hands, or special tools or equipment to make, fix, install or adjust them. Activities include doing practical and physical tasks, and may require an understanding of how equipment or machinery works.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH DATA to order, process or retrieve facts and figures, or to develop or administer policies and procedures. Activities include organising, using or updating information, such as files or accounts, developing or following procedures or systems, and the planning, budgeting, and staffing of an organisation.
These jobs do not usually require completion of secondary education, however further part-time study such as a Certificate III or IV, and on-the-job training, may be required.
Jobs in this group usually require completion of secondary education and/or completion of some further study of a vocational nature, such as a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma.
Work Conditions
All newly appointed police officers are initially required to perform station and patrol duties. Police officers are required to work shifts including weekends and public holidays and serve in any part of the relevant state or territory.
Personal Requirements
- enjoy helping people
- able to stay calm in difficult situations
- able to cope with the physical demands of the job
- tolerant of people from all backgrounds and cultures
- honest and reliable
- willing to accept responsibility
- socially mature with a degree of mental toughness
- able to analyse and solve problems
- have an acceptable traffic/criminal record
- Australian citizenship or permanent residency
- able to satisfy medical requirements.
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